The Prisoner is one of those iconic TV series of the Sixties, where though you may not know what the heck it was about (most people are still trying to figure that out – us included), boy did it look and sound cool!
Starring the original Dangerman, Patrick McGoohan as a spy desperately trying to quit his job only to become imprisoned because of the secrets he holds in his head, The Prisoner was a show filled with wild ideas, complex metaphors and a semi-sentient weather balloon named Rover.
Now, for the first time ever, the Horror Channel is showing all 17 episodes, every week night from 6pm, kicking off on 10 March. So what better time than for us to count down our top five episodes from one of the strangest sci-fi shows ever made!
All together now… I am not a number I am a free man!
1. The Chimes Of Big Ben
Not only is this the first of three appearances from the great Leo McKern as Number 2, but ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ gave us our first real glimpse of the hopelessness that Number 6 will experience during his time in the Village. Plus who doesn’t love to see arts and crafts being put to good use?
2. Free For All
Featuring quite possibly the maddest election of all time (and that’s a high bar these days), packed with brainwashing, spiked drinks and lots of shouting, Episode 4 wears its satire on its sleeve and is the furthest thing from subtle as Number 6 is gunning for Number 2’s job. This is where The Prisoner starts to get weird, Maybe that’s because this is the first episode written and directed by the show’s star, Patrick McGoohan (under the pseudonym Paddy Fitz).
3. Checkmate
While you may not recognise him without his mask, Number 2 in this episode is played by Ming the Merciless’ right-hand man, Klytus himself, Peter Wyngarde. One of the more iconic episodes, Episode 9 sees the prisoners and guards playing life-size chess decades before Harry Potter ever did (then again, if the set has a giant chessboard, it was inevitable at some point people are going to need to play chess).
4. Once Upon A Time
The penultimate episode sees the return of Leo McKern as Number 2 and while the finale is perhaps better remembered for being nonsensical, Episode 16 manages to maintain a sense of science fiction creativity, asking the audience to really question the series’ rather convoluted themes of power and identity. Just be prepared that you might not get any answers.
1. Arrival
There’s no denying the opening episode of The Prisoner is what got most people hooked. Full of espionage, mystery and general weirdness, the episode is like catnip for sci-fi geeks, designed to challenge and question (though rarely answer). It featured an unnamed man resigning from his job as a spy only to be captured and transported to a mysterious village to be interrogated. Stripped of his identity he desperately clings to the one thing that gives him a sense of power.
The Prisoner begins 10 March at 6pm on Horror Channel.